The United States entered the First World War not "to make the world safe for democracy" as President Wilson claimed, but to safeguard American economic interests. Assess the validity of this statement
In 1917, the U.S entered World War I in account of the declaration of war issued by the president of the time, Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson had claimed that this was “to make the world safe for democracy"(America). Many have speculated, however, that it was in fact to protect America’s economy. It was obvious that through Wilson’s mask of words and actions, his ulterior motive was to safeguard the United States economic interest. Therefore, it is clear that the above statement is valid.
In the beginning, the U.S had not always wanted to be involved with the war. In truth, President Wilson had stated he wanted to remain neutral. He informed the other countries involved in the war to recognize the U.S as a neutral party. President Woodrow Wilson called out to his fellow Americans to be "neutral in thought as well as deed."(America). He even went as far as to have his reelection campaign slogan be “He kept us out of war”. But neutrality was not lasting for very long. Soon America was leaning towards Britain and France. America started trading heavily with both countries and loaning them money, and it was only a matter of time before we got dragged into the war too.
President Wilson seemed to have this pre-conceived notion that wartime trade was good for America. As we traded with them more, we became closer allies and the hatred towards Germany grew. America gave loans to France and Britain, soon amounting to over 2.25 billion dollars (America). With so much investment in our allies, the economy would fall if they lost. In other words, “the more intense the fighting, the more arms, ordnance, and supplies the British and French ordered from American manufacturers, and the more money they borrowed from American banks.” (The United). If our allies lost, this would affect our economy greatly too. President Wilson seemed to have seen this too, because it was only after this, did Wilson have a sudden change of heart and declare war when not a few months ago he was adamant about remaining neutral.
President Woodrow Wilson said that he entered war after Germany vessels sank American merchant ships. But war with America seemed to be the last thing Germany wanted to do. Germany had warned America about supplying their allies with weapons, even though that’s precisely what America did. If America was truly neutral, they would not be supplying weapons against Germany to their allies. It seems as though Wilson did not want to lose a lot of profit, which is what could have happened if he did not supply Britain and France with weapons. Therefore, he jeopardized his own nation for economic gain.
So in conclusion, Woodrow Wilson did not have America’s best interest at heart. He instead wanted to enter the war for economic gain. Woodrow Wilson tried to obscure this fact through his words and actions, but in the end the truth has come to light.
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Andrew Bailey, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
The United States entered the First World War not "to make the world safe for democracy" as President Wilson claimed, but to safeguard American economic interests. Assess the validity of this statement
In 1917, the U.S entered World War I in account of the declaration of war issued by the president of the time, Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson had claimed that this was “to make the world safe for democracy"(America). Many have speculated, however, that it was in fact to protect America’s economy. It was obvious that through Wilson’s mask of words and actions, his ulterior motive was to safeguard the United States economic interest. Therefore, it is clear that the above statement is valid.
In the beginning, the U.S had not always wanted to be involved with the war. In truth, President Wilson had stated he wanted to remain neutral. He informed the other countries involved in the war to recognize the U.S as a neutral party. President Woodrow Wilson called out to his fellow Americans to be "neutral in thought as well as deed."(America). He even went as far as to have his reelection campaign slogan be “He kept us out of war”. But neutrality was not lasting for very long. Soon America was leaning towards Britain and France. America started trading heavily with both countries and loaning them money, and it was only a matter of time before we got dragged into the war too.
President Wilson seemed to have this pre-conceived notion that wartime trade was good for America. As we traded with them more, we became closer allies and the hatred towards Germany grew. America gave loans to France and Britain, soon amounting to over 2.25 billion dollars (America). With so much investment in our allies, the economy would fall if they lost. In other words, “the more intense the fighting, the more arms, ordnance, and supplies the British and French ordered from American manufacturers, and the more money they borrowed from American banks.” (The United). If our allies lost, this would affect our economy greatly too. President Wilson seemed to have seen this too, because it was only after this, did Wilson have a sudden change of heart and declare war when not a few months ago he was adamant about remaining neutral.
President Woodrow Wilson said that he entered war after Germany vessels sank American merchant ships. But war with America seemed to be the last thing Germany wanted to do. Germany had warned America about supplying their allies with weapons, even though that’s precisely what America did. If America was truly neutral, they would not be supplying weapons against Germany to their allies. It seems as though Wilson did not want to lose a lot of profit, which is what could have happened if he did not supply Britain and France with weapons. Therefore, he jeopardized his own nation for economic gain.
So in conclusion, Woodrow Wilson did not have America’s best interest at heart. He instead wanted to enter the war for economic gain. Woodrow Wilson tried to obscure this fact through his words and actions, but in the end the truth has come to light.
Work Cited:
America Enters World War I." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=529.
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Andrew Bailey, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
"The United States and World War I by John J. Dwyer." LewRockwell.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/dwyer3